The world's highest railway bridge, the Chenab Bridge, has officially been inaugurated in India.
On Friday, June 6, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the marvel of engineering across a mountain valley in Kashmir.
Details about the Chenab Bridge
The arched bridge, which has taken decades to be completed, is located 359 meters above the river of the same name, which is 29 meters higher than the top of the Eiffel tower.
Costed around $160 million, the Chenab Bridge has the length of 1,315 meters and is part of the first railway link, which connects Kashmir with the rest of India.
Moreover, Modi also inaugurated the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link project, which connects key cities in India-administered Kashmir with the rest of the country.
These projects act as a powerful tool for social integration and political influence.
Impact of such infrastructure project on politics
The Chenab Bridge has been referred to as a major win for Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party government.
Since he was first elected in 2014, the Prime Minister has rapidly expanded the region's road and rail connectivity, building networks that provide a link between disparate towns and major cities.
His administration has poured billions into upgrading India's outdated transport network, part of its vision to transform the country into a developed nation by 2047.
Among these large-scale endeavours is the construction of several tunnels and highways in the mountainous Himalayan region.
However, those ventures have been criticised by some environmentalists who expressed concern about the heavy construction damaging fragile topography.
